Forbidden Love is the Best Kind
by twilightprincess219
Summary: What happens when citizens from enemy countries must come together to save their world from being destroyed? A lot. OCxLuke OCxJade
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! I know I have a lot of stories going on at the moment, but I've been wanting to get this one up for a while. Its something me and my friend 4thespadaulquiorra are working on together. Its not like our normal ones, where we're each doing our own chapter, our chapters are together on this one. Anyway, we both hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Tales of the Abyss.**

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><p>"Jeez, you need to lighten up. Nobody is going to try anything with Van here, Armina." Guy Cecil said, watching the girl next to him with a mildly amused look.<p>

Armina had been sitting the courtyard where Luke, her charge, and Van, his sword instructor, were training, watching every now and then, but mostly looking around the area for anything suspicious. It was her job to protect the young master, and nothing was going to distract her.

She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye, her long blond hair blowing in the breeze. "Unless their target _is_ Van, in which case they would love the chance to kill both the Young Master and Van himself at the same time."

"So morbid." Guy sighed. Armina was always thinking of the worst possibility so she'd be ready for anything. "You must be real fun at parties."

Armina smiled slightly, before her sharp eyes went back to looking around. "Depends on who's throwing the party." She glanced over, noticing Luke trying out the "Fang Blade" arte Van had taught him, and smiled more. "He's getting better." Suddenly she frowned, thinking of something. "Of course, he'll never get to use these techniques, locked up like he is."

Luke had been locked up in his manor ever since an incident that happened 7 years ago. He had been kidnapped, and when Van found him, he had a serious case of amnesia. It was so bad he couldn't even remember his parents faces or names, or even how to walk.

Guy sighed again. "Tell me about it. No wonder he's so miserable all the time- it must be incredibly boring, being stuck in the manor all the time."

"Better locked up than dead."

Guy jumped at the voice and turned around, while Armina just smiled without looking. "Hello, Uncle."

"Hey Jason…." Guy said, looking mildly embarrassed.

The newcomer grinned. "Heya." He turned back to Armina, looking slightly serious. "Listen, Ari, you might want to come with me."

She gave him a confused look. "I'm supposed to be watching Luke today while Duke Fabre is out."

"This is a bit more important." Jason said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "One of our guys has spotted a Malkuth ship, and not too far from here."

Armina instantly stood up and turned to Van. "I have to leave, make sure nothing happens to Luke." She turned to Guy. "And you make sure _he_ doesn't try anything."

For some reason she didn't really trust Van. There was just something about him that didn't seem right to her, but she didn't dare speak her thoughts aloud, because she knew no one would believe her.

Van nodded, pretending not to hear her comment to Guy. "Of course not. Nothing will ever hurt Luke while I'm here, you know that, Armina."

_I wish I could be so sure._ Armina glanced at him before turning to her uncle. "How far?"

He shrugged. "Nearing the port. They don't appear to be making any attempts to hide, and there's only one ship, so it doesn't seem as if they're planning an attack. But, Ari, this ship..."

"The Tartarus, isn't it?" she said, already heading towards the gate. Jason nodded slowly, and Armina smiled grimly. "Jade. Well, this should be _very_ interesting. Uncle, send for Blaine and Katrine. Tell them to meet me at the port in ten minutes."

Jason nodded again and seemed to disappear, using a tricky magic spell that lets him move quickly.

Armina then waved to Luke and Guy, who seem confused by what was going on, and opened the gate, before running out towards the port, ignoring the elevators.

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><p>Lissa stared out the window of the Malkuth ship she was on, looking bored and annoyed at being brought along. "I don't see why I had ta come too Jade. I was perfectly content at the palace."<p>

Jade, the commander of the ship, the Tartarus, sighed. He didn't want the girl there any more than she wanted to be there herself. "I need your help with this since you weren't doing anything else at the moment. Besides, the emperor seemed very adamant about getting you out of the palace."

Lissa grinned, her blue eyes flashing deviously. "I don't see why. I mean, its not like I was doing anything bad. I was just telling him how stupid his pigs names were and how he should have named one after me 'cause I'm so totally awesome!" She winked, causing Jade to sigh again, rubbing his temples.

"We're almost there, Colonel." A soldier said, walking up and saluting to Jade.

Jade looked up and nodded. "Be ready men." He sighed again as he heard a throat being cleared. "And Vasilisa."

"I told you its Lissa!" She said angrily, her blond pony tail flopping as she turned to stare out the window as Kimlasca came into view. _This should be fun!_

This was Lissa's first time to Kimlasca, and she didn't think she'd ever get to see it because of the war between her country and this one. And now that she was finally getting to come, she just wanted to get there. But it seemed like the land wasn't getting any closer.

"Come on! Can't this thing go any faster?" she said excitedly.

Jade gave her a look. "We have to slow down so we don't crash in the port."

Lissa blinked a couple times, thinking about this. "Oh... right." She grinned as Jade sighed again, not sure how he managed to put up with her for so long.

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><p>Eventually the Tartarus slowed to a stop, and Lissa jumped up excitedly, wanting to get off the ship.<p>

Jade walked over to the doors as they opened, and looked at his crew. "I only need three of you to accompany me, along with Vasilisa."

Said girl glared. She hated her full name. "I said its Lissa!" Quickly she ran over to him. "And you could use my title once in a while, ya know!"

"Right. Please forgive me, Major Darrigan."

Lissa gave him a look. "Why does that sound like sarcasm?"

"Because it is." He said flatly, earning another annoyed look from the young girl. "Now lets go."

The Major stuck her tongue out at him, before following him down to the port, forgetting about being mad, as she thought about how much fun she'd have.

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><p>Lissa looked around as people at the port whispered to each other and were freaking out at the sight of the Tartarus and their Malkuth uniforms. Obviously they were not very welcome there.<p>

"Halt!" a soldier in a red uniform called, as a bunch of them pointed their swords at the ramp as the Malkuth soldiers walked down it.

"What is your business here?" the soldier who appeared to be the leader called to them, as Lissa and the others stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Lissa continued to ignore him however, as she looked around. That is until another voice caught her attention.

"Now really, that's no way to treat our guests."

The head soldier turned around at the voice and saw a woman with long blond hair and two others dressed in officer's uniforms. "C-Captain Armina?"

"Captain?" Jade said, obviously amused, and Lissa glanced up at him, confused by his tone. Did he know this girl?

Armina glared at him. "Oh save it." She turned to the Kimlascan soldiers. "We'll handle this. Fall out."

"Aye aye ma'am!" The soldiers saluted and marched off reluctantly, turning back to look at the Malkuthians every now and then.

The other two who stayed stood silently on guard at the end of the ramp as Armina walked up to meet the Malkuth soldiers. Lissa noted that they looked similar, like maybe they were related or something.

"Well well, if it isn't Jade Curtiss. Been a while." Armina said, stopping in front of Lissa and Jade.

"Yes it has...Captain." Jade smirked and adjusted his glasses, as Lissa glanced between the two. So they did know each other. She'd have to find out how later.

Armina ignored his teasing about the fake-and much lower than the real-rank. "What are you doing here?"

At this, Lissa looked up at him as well. "I'd like to know that too Jade. You never did tell me why we had to come all the way to Kimlasca." All she had been told was that she was going to Kimlasca with Jade, whether she wanted to or not.

Jade sighed. "We're here for completely peaceful reasons, I can assure you that."

Lissa nodded slowly. "Right..." She glanced between the two again. "Hey, you know this girl Jade?"

"Yes. This is...Captain" She noticed him try to hold in a grin. "...Armina Owell."

"Oh..." Lissa, being her normal peppy self, turned to the other girl and grinned waving. "Hi! I'm Vasilisa Darrigan, but you can call me Lissa 'cause I hate my full name. Its nice ta meet ya!"

Armina gave the younger girl a small smile. "I know the feeling. Most people call me Ari, nice to meet you." She turned back to Jade. "Entirely peaceful reasons or not, I want more details before any of you step off this dock."

"You'll also need paperwork." The boy, Blaine, who was standing at the end of the dock said loudly enough for them all to hear as the girl next to him nodded. "The King's not happy with your country right now."

"That too." Armina said. "My uncle's already informing the king that you've docked in the city. He'll want to speak with you and you can expect a few more soldiers soon."

Jade shrugged with his hands out to the side-elbows bent and palms up. "Well I didn't exactly expect a warm welcome. That suits my purpose perfectly, actually." He turned to one of his soldiers who were standing behind him. "Bring me the letter from the Emperor."

Armina crossed her arms and studied Jade, Lissa, and the soldiers as the one saluted before heading back into the ship. She was watching them in a way that made most of the soldiers squirm. "For your sakes this had better be entirely peaceful."

Katrine, the girl at the bottom of the ramp decided to speak up. "The king's not going to be happy about this. He's busy with all the pressure. A war could break out at any moment and we're wasting his time with visitors."

"This won't be a waste of time." Armina said, making eye contact with Jade and smirking very slightly. "I take it this is important, or you wouldn't have come here after last time."

"I have no intention of wasting the king's time, I can assure you." Jade said, returning the smirk, and Lissa got the feeling the two were sharing a joke.

"Tell me everything then, Jade, and I'll take you to the King. But just you, and perhaps…" Armina glanced at Lissa, noting the rank on her uniform. "…the major as well. I'd say no weapons but yours is never gone, is it?"

Lissa gave her a confused look. "Huh? How'd you-" She glanced down at her uniform, remembering her rank was on it and laughed. "Oh right! Duh!"

Jade ignored her as the Malkuth soldiers sighed, and smiled at Armina. "The Emperor would like to make a peace treaty with Kimlasca."

Lissa stopped laughing and looked up at him shocked. She hadn't known that. "Really? That doesn't sound like Emperor P at all..." She crossed her arms, thinking about this.

"She's a little on the odd side, don't you think?" Blaine whispered to Katrine, who nodded slowly as she watched them all carefully.

Lissa put her hand on her chin thinking. "A peace treaty huh..." She grinned. "Sounds awesome! Lets do it!"

Jade ignored her again, something he was very good at doing. "So...if you don't mind, the major and I would like to request an audience with the king."

Armina watched his face for any sign that he might be lying. She didn't trust him one bit, especially after last time she had seen him. "Show me the letter first."

"The king won't like receiving second hand news." Jade inquired.

"My job is to protect the king-not make things more convenient for him." Armina said, putting out her hand. "The letter."

Jade shrugged and took the letter from the soldier who had gotten it for him, then handed it to her. Lissa watched curiously as the other girl scanned the letter quickly. She kind of wanted to know what it said too.

"Seems genuine." Armina said, refolding the letter and putting it back inside the envelope before handing it to Katrine. "We'll hold that for now. Both of you can come along, but your men have to stay here, and I'll take those glasses."

The Malkuth soldiers stared at her surprised but confused, as did Blaine and Katrine. "His glasses?" the boy asked, but she ignored him and waited with her hand extended again.

Lissa stared shocked as Jade removed his glasses and handed them to her, chuckling. "Crafty as ever. To suppress the effects of the fonic sight without these will require all my concentration. I won't be able to do any magic, which is no doubt your intention."

Armina smiled slightly. "Shouldn't have mentioned them last time." With that she turned and started to march away. "Come on then."

Blaine and Katrine fell back and stood next to Lissa and Jade, obviously intending to watch them on the way up. Lissa glanced at them, then glanced between Armina and Jade again, before shrugging and beginning to walk into the city.

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><p><strong>AN: Well that's it for now! We have a lot of this written, so we just need people to give us feedback on it to continue posting! anyway, please review and let us know what you think! I'll try to get the next one out soon for you guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! My friend 4thespada-ulquiorra is working on this with me and this was her chapter, so we both hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Tales of the Abyss or its characters, just Lissa, Armina, and Jason.**

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><p>Lissa whistled under her breath, watching the Kimlascan soldiers backs, both amused and a little taken aback. "Wow these guys are really territorial, aren't they? Do they not trust us that much?"<p>

"Well we haven't really given them reason to trust us in the past now have we?" Jade pointed out with an ever-present half smile.

"No, I guess not." The younger girl grinned. She was very proud of her country, even when it did something Kimlasca was against. Scratch that, _especially_ then. Those two randomly appearing twins glanced at each other anxiously, apparently aware of these thoughts, and took a step back in surprise as Lissa suddenly ran forward to stand beside their leader.

"Hey-" The boy began, moving to push her away but freezing when Armina shot him a warning look.

The mocking smile returned, and Jade turned to the other soldier. "Relax. I assure you she's perfectly harmless. Well, at the moment at least."

Lissa, perpetually oblivious to such uninteresting things, merely turned to Armina and grinned. "Hiya! So how old are you anyway? You look pretty young to be a ranking officer!"

Her subordinates glared, but Armina smiled down at the other girl. "Older than you, I would say. I'm nearly 21- my birthday is in two months."

Behind her she could hear the twins complaining, Katrine was leaning over and whispering very obviously to Blaine. "That kid's too close to Commander."

Unsurprisingly, her "sneaky" behavior was noticed. "I thought she was a captain today?" Jade wondered with false surprise, smirking at the girl's blush as she corrected herself.

"R-right." She mumbled, glancing at her brother pleadingly. Blaine merely shook his head- he knew better than to get on the Necromancer's bad side.

"Don't worry about Vasilisa, she's perfectly harmless when she wants to be. Unless you're afraid your "Captain" can't handle "that kid"?" Jade assured.

"Of course I'm not! It's just a matter of protocol-" Katrine snapped, looking ever more flustered.

"Save it, Katrine. He's baiting you." Her brother hissed, grabbing her by the shoulder sternly.

"Successfully I might add." The twins jumped at their "captain's" voice, and Armina couldn't resist a slight smile as she glanced over her shoulder at the pair. "Learn to control your temper or you'll never be given any assignments." She warned before returning her gaze to Lissa, conscious of her chance to learn more about her potential enemy. "So how do you know Jade? I'm assuming he's not just a comrade in arms, considering you're obviously acquainted with the emperor."

Jade frowned at the question, recognizing Armina's intentions, but Lissa merely smiled and replied in an excessively hyper tone. "Well I guess you could say Jade's kinda like my uncle. See him, the emperor and my dad were pretty good friends growing up and when my dad died Jade took me in. So I grew up around him and Emperor P."

"Yes and that's something I sometimes regret." The older Malkuthian soldier cut in with a theatrical sigh.

Lissa turned and stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "Oh you know your life would be a lot more boring without me around!"

There it was again, that smile. Thought it wasn't directed at her Armina felt her blood flare at the sight of it. She'd always hate that smile. "Yes I suppose without you the only one annoying the Emperor would be me."

Lissa grinned, amused, and turned back to her companion, oblivious of her contained rage. "But anyway, my father's will said I'm stuck with the Colonel there until I turn 18, which should be in about 5 months."

No time for getting bothered. Armina adapted an amused expression and cast Jade a slightly scornful look. "You? Raising her?"

"She does a fairly good job of taking care of herself."

She would have to, with him as a "father". The blond girl couldn't resist smiling at this image before halting in front of the guard protecting the elevator they had just reached. "Malkuth emissaries. They checked out and have with them a letter from the emperor. Let us pass."

The poor guard looked petrified. His gaze swiveled from Armina to Jade and back again-skimming over Lissa, much to the girl's annoyance- before saluting awkwardly and stepping aside.

"Come on." Armina beckoned for the others to board, waiting until they all had done so before stepping onto the elevator and signaling for the knight to send it up. "I can't imagine living with someone as annoying as him. I grew up with my uncle, Jason, but I'm on my own now."

She may as well share some of her own personal information, but Blaine didn't seem to see the intelligence behind this. "Is it really smart to be telling her this?"

Armina shot him a look that made the poor boy lower his head, admonished. "Sorry, Lissa. I've taught the members of my squad to let the enemy know as little about them as possible. They seem to be forgetting we're not currently at war. Sometimes trust in a potential foe is necessary to make them your ally." The speech was ruined by a chuckle from Jade, who seemed to find the term "squad" unbefitting of an assassination corp.

Lissa stared at the others in surprise, unused to such cold behavior, but grinned all the same. "Well you don't gotta worry! I'm your friend!"

The girl beside her, Katrine?, scoffed. "Don't you think you should get to know someone better first? Especially when they're from a rivaling country?"

Before she could respond Jade cut in, sighing at the twin's behavior. "Vasilisa is very friendly, which you'll find out if you stay with her long enough."

The girl in question crossed her arms and glared, snapping a retort immediately. "Why do you keep calling me that? I told you a thousand times its "Lissa"!"

Her stand-in uncle merely smiled. "Because I find joy in annoying you."

She continued to glare, accustomed to his rude behavior. "Of course you do." A cough drew her attention away, and she turned to see a white knight-the cougher she supposed- guarding a lavish Victorian mansion. "Oooh who lives there?"

Armina narrowed her eyes, her tone no longer welcoming. "The Duke Fabre and his family."

Jade, well aware of this particular eccentricity, smirked. "And his family would be?"

"The Duke's family is under my protection-I'll say no more about them than I have already, something you know very well." She snapped, fixing him with such a cold expression that the others flinched, though the target of such malicious behavior was perfectly calm himself.

The colonel smiled again, perfectly aware of how much she hated it. "Yes, I do, but you're almost as fun to annoy as Vasilisa is."

Judging from their expressions the twins expected fireworks, but Armina merely smiled and pointed to the castle. " I bet you can guess who lives in that one."

Vasilissa only nodded vaguely, still watching the manor curiously. Blaine shot her a nervous glance, remaining on the elevator with his sister as the others exited. "We'll head back now if you don't mind, ma'am."

"Carry on."

The two saluted, then vanished with the same technique their father had performed earlier. The guards jumped involuntarily, perhaps having expected them to use the elevator. Jade raised a curious eyebrow, but Armina met his gaze coldly.

"Shall we?" She said, waiting for the Malkuthian pair to continue on before following in the rear.

Lissa eye's were still fixed on the manor as they walked. "The Duke huh? Cool! I wonder what he's like…"

Jade shook his head slightly at his niece's behavior, no doubt sensing Armina's annoyance. She did tend to be overprotective of the Fabre household. As they approached the castle, the guards at the gate, seeing the false captain, immediately sprang to attention. "Captain Armina!"

Jade paid the suspicious looks they held for him no attention. "Well? Are you going to get them to let us in or not?"

Lissa was even less interested, her mind on the décor, of all places. "I wonder if its anything like the emperor's palace..."

"At ease." Armina waited for the command to be executed before continuing, "This man is an emissary from Malkuth with a letter from the emperor. You're to let him pass as long as he's with me."

The guards shared an anxious glance, silently daring the other to speak, until one brave soul poke up. "Well, ma'am...we're not supposed to let anybody in without permission. You can come of course, but.."

"I've given them permission. Or is that not enough for you?" She stared down the men, all of whom was thicker and taller than she, until they looked away nervously and made room for them to pass. "Come." She ordered, leading the way into the castle and drawing her sword.

The colonel seemed unimpressed by this show of political power, merely turning to reply to his niece's inquiry. "I think you'll be surprised by the difference in architecture. The emperor has a much more welcoming taste in decoration." He glanced up as he followed the blond woman inside, smirking at the sight of her sword. "Ready for battle, Captain?"

"If I need to be."

Lissa missed the tension, so thick the servants were shooting them anxious looks, passing between the two, glancing at Armina's sword curiously. "Do we need to be ready to battle someone?"

"I think the captain was talking about us." Jade explained, smiling slightly.

For a moment she seemed confused, looking first at her uncle then at Armina. "Oh! Well we're not gonna fight anyone! At least I don't think so..."

He sighed, shaking his head and turning to the older woman. "Just ignore her, and show us to the king."

"Hey! That's not very nice Jade!" Lissa protested, glaring.

"I don't have to be nice to you. I'm your guardian."

She stuck out her tongue at him, missing the looks this earned her from the business-minded castle guards. "Maybe I will fight someone. You!"

Armina smiled slightly, the first one with actual humor behind it. "Oh, trust me, you don't want to do that. You there." She turned as a servant ran past, beckoning her over.

"Yes, Lady Owell?"

"Tell the king I'm requesting an audience for myself, Colonel Jade Curtiss, and Major Vasilisa Darrigan regarding the Malkuth soldiers who've just docked."

The servant bowed hastily then bustled away to open the enormous double-doors leading to the throne room, struggling for a moment to close them herself. Once she was gone Armina turned back to the two Malkuth soldiers.

"Now we'll have to wait for awhile. The king won't be eager to meet with you."

"Oh the joys of politics" Jade said with a characteristic sigh, turning to his niece. "He'll want to remind us he's the one in control, and will make us wait here for him as long as he sees fit."

"Which may be quite awhile." Armina warned, glancing up as another servant passed. "You there, bring us something to drink, would you?"

The man bowed almost frantically and hurried off to the kitchen, taking a single door off to the far right of the throne room.

"So why you two? Emperor Peony must know you've got quite the reputation. The king would have felt much better about this if it were someone else. Sending you is almost like a threat." The blond woman pointed out.

Jade narrowed his eyes slightly, looking more frustrated than angry. "Not everyone is as opposed to war as the emperor would like."

Lissa nodded her agreement. "Mhm. Some of the soldiers and other officers think we should start a war, and take control of Kimlasca. But I think that's stupid!"

"Yes the emperor thinks a war is pointless. And seeing as how he trusts us more than anyone else in the Malkuth military, he sent us to be the emissaries."

"Well you could have come by yourself. I don't see why I needed to be drug along with you." The younger added, sighing with annoyance.

Jade smiled slightly, which both girls knew was never a good sign. "I told you Emperor Peony wanted you out of his hair. He said you were becoming a pain already that early in the morning, and that I was to take you with me."

"Well he needs to lighten up sometimes. I just try to get him to have fun. And you annoy him a lot more than I do." Lissa countered, making a fairly good point that Jade merely shrugged off.

"I've heard how you tease the emperor like a little brother. He must be very patient." Armina put in after watching this brief exchange, clearly amused.

"Oh not at all. He's just numb to it by now." He assured with a pleasant smile.

Ignoring this minor show of sadism, the acting captain continued, "Well I've heard he's extremely relaxed, parts of the castle that he visits frequently are an utter mess, and he lets his pets have the run of the place."

Of course Jade knew the truth behind this. No doubt Armina had been to the castle a number of times, whether disguised or hidden was anyone's guess. He seemed to find this amusing, however. "Oh? And who told you this?"

"Oh, just rumors floating around. So then, how long will you be in Kimlasca? If this peace treaty requires formal discussion, you'll need lodgings, and the king would never allow you to stay in the ambassador's room of the castle."

"There's always the Tartarus if it becomes necessary. But we shouldn't be here long."

"Let's hope not."

Now even Lissa could spot the uneasy peace between the two, and her eyes flitted between the pair suspiciously. "You guys seem to know each other more than you should."

"Well…you could say that. We met a few years ago." Jade admitted, still watching Armina with an uninterpretable smile.

The young girl watched him for a moment, pouting when she realized the importance of this. "It's not fair. You get to go all over the place and meet people but I'm only allowed in Malkuth."

"That's because you're still technically a minor. No matter what your rank is, until you're 18 you're to stay in Malkuth territory." He replied in a tone that implied this conversation had been replayed many times over.

"I'm not in Malkuth right now." She countered.

"Well this is a special circumstance that allows you to leave with a higher ranking officer than yourself. You've done this before, going to Daath." Jade retorted with a pointed look.

Lissa crossed her arms and glared, then suddenly perked up as an idea seemed to dawn on her. "Oooh if we stay could we stay in that awesome looking manor outside? That'd be so much better than the lame Tartarus!"

Jade cast Armina a wary glance, and seeing her eyes narrowed in his niece's direction shook his head. "No, I would say not."

Once again the assassin was looking far less than friendly, and when she spoke it was in a bitter tone. "We'll let you into the castle with a guard because it's necessary. No Malkuth soldier will be allowed to enter the Duke's home-especially not overnight. If needed we'll pay for you to stay at the inn."

"The captain here is very over-protective of the Fabre family. You'll find she can become quite annoying about it, like a mother hen." He stage-whispered, bending down to speak in Lissa's ear.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Armina snapped with more dignity than most could retain after keeping the colonel's company for long.

He straightened up and smirked, aware that her temper was on the verge of boiling. "Good."

Before she could retort the servant returned, knees shaking under the weight of a heavily laden tea tray. "H-here, ma'am."

Armina quickly relieved him of the burden, sighing to herself. "You didn't need to bring so much."

"When I mentioned Lady Owell and the colonel everyone in the kitchen staff became frightened and went overboard..." He said apologetically, looking down as if he expected to be scolded.

Even for her it took an effort not to smile in what would no doubt be taken in a mocking way. "Well, thank you. You may go."

No sooner had the servant bowed and rushed away than Jade laughed in what most certainly _was _a mocking manner, though at the soldier and not the servant. "Quite the reputation I see."

"I'm sure they were more worried about offending the Necromancer than myself." Armina replied sarcastically, offering a cup of tea and a cookie to Lissa. "Hungry?"

She took the cup, glaring at the drink as though it were poison. "Why is everyone afraid of you but not me? It's not fair."

Armina couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the complaint, but Jade merely sipped his drink and smiled slightly. "You're only 17. Give it time and you'll eventually make a name for yourself. Especially if you keep acting like you do on the battlefield."

That brought a grin to the formerly sullen ace. "I can't help it if I get really into the fighting."

"Yes, but when you fight you pretend its a game, counting how many soldiers or monsters you take out with your hammer."

"Well it makes it more fun that way!" Lissa protested, drinking some of her own tea before turning to Armina. "So why are you so protective of the Duke's family?"

For a moment it seemed the blond woman would refuse to answer, a disapproving scowl implying she had no liking for the younger woman's war tactics. "Hm? Because part of my job is to guard them, or rather, the members of the royal family directly linked to the throne. Luke is the crown prince, the first thing I ever did as a soldier was learn his habits, routines, allergens, and anything else that might be necessary for keeping him safe or detecting an unusual change in his lifestyle, which could mean many types of physical and mental danger."

Jade nodded and took another swallow of his drink. "You've met Emperor Peony's personal guards, haven't you? The captain here is something akin to that."

"I do go out to battles and war though, so I have regular soldier training and duties on top of my other orders." Armina explained before drinking a bit of tea, swishing it around in her mouth, and smelling it before taking any more.

"Ah, she's also rather suspicious." The colonel explained with a slight chuckle.

"It's not like I'm paranoid. Chances are someone would be willing to poison a cup of tea that might reach the famed Colonel Curtiss."

"As I'm not dead yet, I'm assuming you're incorrect about the kitchen staff seeking to kill me." Came the retort, accompanied by an almost defiant sip that finished off the potentially suspicious drink.

Lissa was looking down at her cup suspiciously after all the poison talk, but was evidently as disinterested as her adoptive uncle and merely shrugged and drunk more. "So Luke is the crown prince? Is he the king's son then?"

"No. As I recall the king only has one child, a daughter. Her name is Natalia I believe, am I right?" Jade turned to the other adult, who nodded stiffly.

"Really? Then who's Luke? And how old is he? Is he cute?" In the typical matter befitting a teenage girl whose only recent male company had been a father figure, she smiled dreamily, imaging various appearances for the boy.

"Luke is the princess' fiancé, one of the many people I protect." Armina said pointedly, her warning lost on the young girl.

"I really doubt you'll hear any more about that." Said Jade, amused, as Lissa continued to peer eagerly at the other woman.

Armina merely shrugged, she couldn't exactly argue the point, and glanced curiously at the double doors. "The king doesn't seem eager to greet us. Relationships with Malkuth have been very poor lately, he must suspect this is a trick. Though those papers seemed genuine, it is true I can't tell from a piece of paper how sincere the words are."

"Well, the king has nothing to worry about." He assured, pointing almost sarcastically to his uncovered eyes which, the acting captain admitted, were unfortunately attractive. "Without my glasses I can't risk any magic or summoning my spear-at least not if I hoped to catch him by surprise. It would take quite a bit of concentration to avoid destroying myself and possibly everything around me."

She shrugged as if to say 'Well, what can you do?'. "That was the point, yes. Though I dare say it wouldn't take long for you to figure out a loophole for that."

Another smirk. "You know me too well."

Lissa, of course, was still hung up on the touchy subject of one Luke fon Fabre. "Aww man..." She whined upon hearing of his engagement to the princess.

"Relax. I'm sure we can find you another rich man." Jade said, smiling at her disappointment.

"How rude! You honestly think all I care about is money?" The girl's indignant glare was met by a very pointed look, and she huffed indignantly. "I'll have you know I don't care about that! I mean, sure it's nice but I'm not a gold digger!"

"Of course not."

Lissa stuck out her tongue then paused and turned sharply, almost accusingly, to Armina. "Hey how come you're worried about him still attacking but not me?"

Jade spoke up quickly, well aware of the assassin's tendency towards behavior so blunt it was borderline offensive. "Because she probably knows that no matter how annoying you are, you won't do anything unless commanded. The captain here is pretty good at reading and understanding how people work."

The story, while true in context despite lying through omission, seemed to satisfy Lissa. "Well that's true. So can we meet this king or not? I really would like to explore Baticul a little!"

_'That and the fact that Jade's spells could wipe out half the soldiers in that room before they even had their swords out.'_ "The king will summon us eventually." Armina replied dryly, hiding her own annoyance at being kept so long. She usually had Ingobert's ear whenever she wanted it.

"If we left now he would take it as a personal offense. No matter how bored you are we have to put off leisure time until later." Jade warned, smirking slightly. "Though maybe we would stand a better chance of making a good impression without you. What do you think, Captain?"

"I think the king will be amused by the difference between Lissa and us all-business surly soldier types." Came the retort, earning an almost smug grin from the girl in question who, while a bit overbearing, was certainly more welcome in Armina's company than the Necromancer.

"Hopefully he's amused in a positive way."

"Well, that's entirely up to what mood he's in at the moment." She turned to the doors as if expecting to judge the King's mood this way, frowning slightly. "He usually doesn't keep me waiting this long."

"Not for publicly acceptable visits, anyway." Jade teased. Lissa glanced between the two adults, surprised, but quickly recovered. Whatever he'd meant it hadn't been the innuendo her mind immediately assumed, it didn't seem as if Armina was capable of any form of romantic involvement anyway, let alone a scandal.

Armina was unaware whether the hint to her true profession or the double-meaning implied by a lack of context was more annoying. "Hmph. Either he really dislikes you two, or he has something important going on."

"Well he needs to hurry up. I hate just standing here doing nothing." Lissa complained, shooting the door a dirty look.

Jade sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Just be patient. I'm sure the king will see us soon."

The girl huffed in response, her arms folded across her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently, immediately perking up at the sound of a door opening. "Yay! Finally someone else to talk to!"

A soldier was hurrying out of the throne room, stopping to salute in front of his superiors. "Captain Armina Owell, Colonel Jade Curtiss, and Major Vasilisa Darrigan. His Majesty, King Ingobert, will see you now."

"Yes! Someone finally used my title!" Lissa cheered with a grin.

"Well, it seems he'll see us after all." Jade mused, smirking slightly at Armina.

This behavior was ignored by the blond woman, who had immediately adapted a business-like manner even more formal than her usual attitude, dismissing the soldier and beginning a brisk walk up the stairs. "Follow me."

"Come, Vasilisa." Jade urged, following at a similar pace with the excited teen at his side.

Armina stopped in front of the doors and swung them open slowly, closing half the distance between herself and the King before getting to one knee. "Your Majesty, may I introduce Colonel Jade Curtiss and Major Vasilisa Darrigan of the Malkuth Imperial Forces."

Ingobert nodded, beckoning for his confidant to relax. "You may rise, Captain."

The woman did so, looking almost reluctant, and glanced over her shoulder to see the two Malkuthian soldiers entering the room. Once they did so she made a quick sign behind her back, unnoticed even by Jade, who was stepping forward to bow to the King. A moment later the door slammed shut with a sound that made most of the room jump, and before Lissa could turn to see what had happened a man appeared, literally _appeared_ at her side.

"Heya Major, how's it going?" He asked, grinning affably. Other than the hair, his was brown and much shorter, he was close in looks to Armina- most likely the uncle she'd mentioned earlier.

She gave him a startled look, but grinned the moment she recovered. "Great! That was so cool! How'd you do that? Can you teach me?"

Jason mirrored her grin, laughing slightly. "Sorry, Kimlascan secret." He teased with a playful wink.

Armina shot him a dirty look. "Uncle, please.

The older man shrugged and whispered like a scolded child, "Sorry."

Lissa pouted upon hearing this refusal, sighing grumpily. "Aw man... This place sucks." She paused for a moment then grinned once more, ready to bargain. "How about a trade? I teach you something if you teach me how to do that awesome appearing thing!"

"Nope, sorry, can't give it away. You might teach it to someone, then she-" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where his niece was watching him with a disapproving glare, "would be on me like a lion."

"Boo. Kimlasca sucks."

Jade sighed and turned quickly to Ingobert, hoping to salvage the situation. "Just ignore her, Your Majesty. I try to keep her in a cage but it's proving rather difficult lately."

"Hey!"

The King smiled slightly, amused. "She's fine. Very different than normal soldiers, but…"

"Thanks King!" Lissa beamed while her guardian rubbed his temples, no doubt fighting off the headache Armina was beginning to feel.

"Speak more respectfully to His Majesty, Major." She warned, but the comment was quickly waved off by the King.

"She's a child, she has time to learn these things." He pointed out before turning to Jade. "Continue."

"Your Majesty, I bear a letter of truce on behalf of His Majesty, Emperor Peony." The colonel explained with a bow, pulling the letter in question from his pocket.

"Read it." The King demanded, all business as Jade began to dictate their only hope for avoiding war.

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><p><strong>AN: Well hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and let us know what you think! I'll try to get the next one out soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: See? Told ya I'd get the next one out soon! ^_^ Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Tales of the Abyss or its characters, just Lissa, Armina, and Jason.**

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><p>"How do I know this is genuine?" King Ingobert asked, seeming to consider the contents of the letter.<p>

Jade stared up at the king seriously. "I can assure you, Your Majesty, this letter is completely genuine. Emperor Peony wants nothing more than peace."

Ingobert sighed closing his eyes. "All right. Give me one night to think this over. You are welcome to stay here in the castle if you'd like. Or we can get you a room at the inn."

Jade smiled, thankful things seemed to be going smoothly. "Thank you Your Highness, but we'll just stay on the Tartarus."

Lissa perked up, tuning into the conversation enough to hear this. She turned to the king grinning. "Hey how about you let us stay in that sweet manor out there? Huh? I really wanna see what it's like inside!"

Armina glared at her slightly, her protective instincts of the Fabre family kicking in immediately. However, Ingobert spoke up before she could. "The Duke Fabre's?" he asked, slightly suspicious. "That's an odd place to stay when offered a room at the castle."

"The major is just interested in the Kimlascan nobility, Your Highness." Jade sighed, slightly annoyed at his niece's bluntness. _'Particularly the young man...'_ "My apologies, she's rather unruly."

Surprisingly, Ingobert waved it off. "I suppose I could ask my sister if she wouldn't mind a guest or two..." He smiled slightly amused, noticing Armina's look. "Of course the captain would follow you. I can't have you in my relative's home without supervision."

This still didn't sit well with the young Captain. "Your Majesty, there's-"

"It's one night, Ari." Jason grinned, cutting her off. "And they probably won't run into any of the Fabre family. If the Duke and his wife agree, I don't see why not.

Lissa grinned, practically jumping up and down. "YES! You rock Your Majesty! I love Kimlasca!"

Jade sighed King Ingobert chuckled and looked at the man standing to his right. "Alpine, please go visit my sister and ask her and Duke Fabre if it's alright for the colonel and major to stay with them for tonight."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Alpine answered, before bowing and walking out.

"Don't worry! I promise I'll be good!" Lissa grinned and winked at Armina, giggling.

Armina stared at her a moment, obviously not sure how to deal with her, before turning back to her king. "No matter your decision, a letter will need to be sent back to the Emperor, Your Majesty."

"I am aware." Ingobert turned to Jade. "I trust Colonel Curtiss has room on his ship for an emissary of my choosing?"

Jade nodded. "But of course, we expected as much."

Ingobert nodded in return before turning back to his captain. "Then I will have you go, Captain Owell, along with an ambassador who will be under your care."

Armina bowed slightly. "Whatever you wish, Your Majesty."

Jason grinned and leaned down to whisper in Lissa's ear. "Good luck with that one, she'll drive you up the wall." He waved to Armina pleasantly as she glared at him over her shoulder.

Lissa smiled excitedly. "That's all right. It'll be great having another girl around! We can have sleepovers, and talk about boys, and do our nails and-"

"Somehow I don't think the captain is into that kind of thing." Jade said, watching his niece amused.

The young girl glanced at the other girl and grinned. "Well I'll get her into it then!" The young girl grinned as the colonel sighed.

Jason chuckled, glancing at Armina. "Good luck with that one."

The door then opened as Alpine returned. "Susanne and her husband the Duke Fabre have agreed to allow the Colonel and the Major into their home for one night, Your Majesty. However, the Duke would like to speak with them beforehand, and warns them the White Knights will be on constant alert."

Ingobert nods and Alpine returned to his spot nearby him. "That's settled then. Major, Colonel, I bid you ado. Jason, escort these two to the manor. Armina, I would like to speak with you before you go."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Armina and Jason answered in unison.

Jason turned to Lissa and Jade smiling. "Well then, lets get going. I'll show you two to the manor."

Lissa pumped her fist into the air happily. "YES! Lets go!" Quickly she grabbed his and Jade's arms and dragged them out, much to the older men's amusement and annoyance.

King Ingobert smiled slightly amused, watching where they had left. "She's an interesting one that girl."

The young captain nodded, thinking of the other girl's comments, about what she was planning on doing later. "I think I should be afraid."

"That's likely." The king chuckled. "Now, Armina, how long has it been since you've had a job?"

The girl glanced at Alpine, who sighed looking annoyed. "I'll see them out." He bowed to the king then left the room, leaving the two alone.

Armina waited until she was certain they were alone, before addressing the king's question. "Awhile, Your Majesty. I've been at the Fabre residence for quite some time now."

"And now you're off to Malkuth. The journey will be a long one, I'm sure."

"Even once we dock at port there will be many duties the ambassador has to perform before we can begin any negotiations over their treaty." Armina agreed, waiting for him to continue.

Ingobert watched her a moment. "I'll be brief then. I want you to kill the Necromancer."

Armina's eyes widened, not expecting that at all. "Colonel Curtiss? But sir, the treaty-"

"You're more than capable of making it look like an accident."

"Curtiss doesn't have accidents." The girl argued, shaking her head.

Ingobert gave her a pointed look. "Think of something. You may leave."

Armina, realizing she wasn't going to talk her way out of this, bowed, before turning and leaving the room, more than she wanted on her mind.

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><p>Lissa continued to pull the other two until they finally got to the manor, where the White Knight's were standing guard outside.<p>

"Hey! Let us in!" Lissa glared at the guards, who stayed silent and unmoving.

Jade sighed at her unruly behavior. "You really need to learn more manners."

Jason chuckled amused and stepped up in front of them. "These two are emissaries of Malkuth, and have permission by Duke Fabre to stay the night here. Let us pass."

Much to the trio's disappointment, the knight's stood still, not acknowledging Jason's words, which just caused the young Major to get annoyed. She glanced over, smiling when she saw Armina coming towards them. "Hey! Ari!" the girl ran over to the captain, grabbing her arm. "These white guys won't let us through! Make them!"

Armina was still a bit dazed, and allowed herself to be drug over to the entrance. "Hm? Oh, of course." She said, after registering what Lissa had said to her. She shook her head to clear it and walked up to the guards, who held their positions, but glanced at each other nervously. "Duke Fabre gave permission for these two to stay here. You will let us through, or need I remind you who is in charge of each and any soldier assigned to this manor?"

The one knight saluted. "Ma'am, these two are from Malkuth-"

"Do you think I'm not aware of that?" Armina glared, causing the guards to flinch slightly. "Let us through. Now."

"Y-yes ma'am!" the knights salute again and stepped aside, as Jason glared at them.

"And you ignore me? Come on, I'm as much in charge of you as she is!"

"Oh save it." Armina said, turning to Lissa and Jade. "Shall we then?"

"Haven't changed a bit." Jade chuckled, recalling how the girl had been when they first met.

Armina smirked at him. "So you've said. Come, Lissa, the Duke will be waiting."

Jason grumpily followed behind the others as they all headed into the manor. "Hmph. Stupid White Knights." _'Hm...wonder what the king said in there. Can't be anything good if he wouldn't let __me__ hear.'_

As they entered the main room, they noticed Duke Fabre standing there with his wife Susanne. "Armina, Colonel Curtiss, Major Darrigan." The Duke greeted.

Jade smiled and bowed slightly. "Duke Fabre, its a pleasure to meet you."

"This place is so cool! Its so different than the castle!" Lissa exclaimed, paying no attention to the others.

Jade cleared his throat. "Vasilisa."

Lissa glanced at him before turning to the Duke and Susanne smiling. "Oh its nice to meet you! Thanks for letting us stay here! So where's your son?"

Susanne giggled as the girl started looking around eagerly. "Well she's rather different than the usual soldiers we see, isn't she?"

"Different is one word." Armina said, before turning to the girl. "This is a political matter, Luke won't be involved. There's a chance you will see him later, but only if his mother allows it."

"Armina, you're always so careful." Susanne smiled, turning to Lissa. "Luke is training today, but you will see both him and the Commandant tonight at dinner. All-" she paused for a moment, deciding something. "all four of you are welcome to join us."

Jade bowed very slightly again. "I am very grateful."

Armina stared at them both mildly surprised. She wasn't used to this. "Ma'am?

The Duke smiled slightly. "Yes, Armina, you and Jason as well. There are enough trained soldiers here that you can eat with the family, you don't need to stand off to the side like you always do."

"I-if you wish it, sir." The girl said, still slightly confused.

The Duke then turned to Lissa and Jade, not haven forgot about them. "Now, we have a few rules I'd like to set down. First, you are under no circumstances to be alone with anyone other than those two, not even each other." He gestured to Armina and Jason.

"That's fine!" Lissa said, too concerned about meeting Luke to care too much about anything else. "So how old is Luke anyway?"

Jade sighed. "I'm very sorry about her. She doesn't know when to keep her thoughts to herself."

Susanne smiled as Lissa glared at her uncle. "She's fine, I assure you. Its nice to have someone around who's not stuck up all the time."

"Luke is 17, but he's engaged to Princess Natalia." The Duke answered, Lissa, who just waved him off, her anger at Jade passing quickly.

"Yeah yeah, I heard that already." She crossed her arms, thinking. "17 huh..."

Jason watched Lissa amused as she smiled to herself. He grinned and leaned closer to Armina whispering, "Well, tonight should be quite entertaining, don't you think?"

"Not for long. Luke isn't exactly a social butterfly." The girl answered quietly.

Jade smirked, overhearing them. "Well then, even better. It will be quite fun to watch Vasilisa's struggled attempts at conversation."

Jason laughed awkwardly, noticing the Duke's mildly annoyed look. "Weeeellll then. I'll show you guys to your rooms now, where will they be staying?"

"Oh, I'll show them." Susanne said happily. "Armina, come along with us."

The Duke turned to Jason. "Jason, you head outside and supervise my son's training. He and Guy have been very curious, make up a lie if you can when they ask you what's happened."

"Okie-dokie." Jason grinned.

Armina glanced at the Duke and Lady. "Are we going to be telling them some story?"

"Oh no, we just don't want either of them barging in here to see the soldiers." Susanne smiled. "Luke's such a lively boy."

Lissa grinned. "I like lively ones. They're the funnest!"

Jade sighed, realizing the Duke probably wouldn't be able to handle the girl much longer. "I think we should probably get going before the Duke kicks us out."

Jason chuckled. "Well I'll be going then. See you guys at dinner!" He waved once, before walking out, as Lissa stared after him longingly.

"Aww can't I go with him?"

"I think you should probably wait. There's no telling what trouble you'd cause if you went out there." Jade said, earning an annoyed look from his niece.

Susanne giggled quietly. "Well then, why don't you two follow me and I'll show you to your rooms, all right? You come too Armina."

Jade and Armina followed Lady Fabre out, as Lissa followed, still pouting slightly about not being able to see Luke.

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><p><strong>AN: Well that's all for now! Hope you liked it! Please review and let us know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait for this! The girl I was writing this with never sent me the next chapter, and I haven't been able to get in touch with her, so I decided to just continue writing it by myself. Anyway, hope this chapter is okay for you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tales characters.**

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><p>The manor was fairly big, and while Lissa was still pouty about not being able to meet Luke yet, she couldn't help but look around in curiosity as they walked the halls. It seemed like everything here was different than in Malkuth, and it was interesting to her to see the differences in the countries.<p>

"So, how long will you be here?" Susanne asked as they walked, glancing at Jade politely.

The Necromancer returned her smile. "We shouldn't be intruding for any more than a day at the most. If all goes well, the king will be ready to speak with us first thing in the morning."

"Well, if you ever come back to the castle feel free to stay here. We love visitors, and Luke really does get bored seeing all the same people." The woman replied with a welcoming smile.

This caused Lissa to glance at the other three in curiosity, but before she could ask her question, Armina answered. "Luke is confined to the manor for his own protection." The look the younger girl received clearly showed how much the captain hated that idea. "Don't mention it too often at dinner." She then turned to the Lady. "Ma'am...maybe we shouldn't be-"

"Oh Armina, there's no harm in telling them a little bit about ourselves." Susanne waved her off. "I'm sure you haven't been this closed with your own information."

A smirk formed on Jade's lips, his eyes shifting to the girl next to him with amusement. "Nearly. We learned she lived with her uncle, and his name, which is more than I would have dreamed to hear from her before Vasilisa's charming."

Armina gave him a bemused look, before turning her attention to the younger girl next to her. "Speaking of my uncle, you seem quite taken to him, Lissa."

Lissa grinned, knowing this wasn't meant in any sort of weird, romantic way. "Well its not often you get to meet adults who are like him! The only people I'm normally around are stuck up soldiers, the emperor, and Jade. And well, lets just say they get kind of old after a while."

Susanne smiled, hearing this. "Well I'm guessing by your personality you'll continue getting along well with Jason."

"Don't give her any more encouragement, Madame Fabre." Jade sighed, imagining how his niece could become even more annoying.

The Major stuck her tongue out at him, before turning a grin on Armina. "But your uncle's awesome Ari!" She leaned closer to stage whisper. "I'll trade you if you want!"

The older blonde smiled, finding the younger girl amusing. "For who? Jade?" She glanced at him, pretending to appraise him. "Hm...he is less trouble than Jason, but I think I'll have to pass." She sobered up a bit, though still smiled a little. "I should have expected as much, he usually gets along with everybody."

Susanne nodded. "Even Luke likes him. And he knows such interesting things, I've even seen him showing Van a few battle tips."

This caused Armina to pause in her tracks slightly, though it was barely noticeable. Her smile was gone now, replaced with a frown. "He was showing Van? I told him not to do that..."

Jade glanced at her curiously. "Not a fan of the Commandant?"

"He's a good man and an excellent soldier, but I do not trust him."

"Well that's not saying much." Jade smirked, causing a sigh to escape the captain's lips.

"I trust him less than I trust most people. Better?"

"Yes, thank you." There was clear amusement in his voice, and Lissa couldn't help but watch them curiously as Armina sighed once again.

The younger girl took this as an opportunity to tease her so called uncle. "You see why I want to get rid of him, right?" She said to Madame Fabre.

Jade put on a sarcastically upset look. "How could you be so mean to the man who took care of you for almost half your life?"

Lissa shrugged. "Easy. I do it all the time. Besides, you can't call me living in the same house as you taking care of me. I did everything for myself."

"I was merely teaching you independence."

"Sure." The blonde replied in a tone that clearly stated she didn't believe that one bit.

Susanne giggled, apparently finding the three soldiers amusing, before stopping in front of a door. "Here is your room Colonel Curtiss. I hope its all right for you. If you need anything just let one of the maids know."

Jade nodded with a small bow. "It will be more than fine, thank you."

Armina glanced at him, not about to leave him alone in the manor. "Come with us. You heard what the Duke said, you're not to be alone. When you choose to retire for the night Jason will accompany you."

Jade shrugged in that weird way he always does, causing the captain to become more annoyed for some reason. "All right. I would like to see the manor for myself, actually, it seems very nice so far."

"Armina, try not to be so rude to our guests." Susanne said, though not in any kind of commanding way.

"Sorry, ma'am, but those are orders from the Duke." The captain replied, glancing at the two Malkuth soldiers. Besides, it wasn't like she actually liked the idea of them staying here anyway.

Lissa, deciding to ignore the adults and their bickering, was busy glancing around the hall. "So where's my room? Is it near Luke's?" A grin formed on her lips at the thought.

Susanne smiled, obviously finding the young girl amusing, and not at all a threat. "No, I'm afraid not. You'll be sharing with Armina, if that's all right with you."

A thoughtful look formed on the girl's face, before she turned to Armina smiling. "Of course it is! That'll give us more time to get to know each other! We can stay up late and talk, doing each others hair! Ooh and we can do our nails too! It'll be so much fun!" It was obvious the Major didn't get a lot of time to spend with friends.

Jade chuckled, clearly amused at the slightly annoyed expression on the captain's face. "I'm sure the captain will find that very entertaining. You should do as much as you can."

Armina shot him a glare, before giving Lissa a dry smile. "I'm afraid I won't be much company, Lissa. I have a fairly strict early to bed early to rise policy. As soon as I'm done with my duties I tend to fall asleep."

This caused Susanne to smile. "I don't know, I think you could be very pretty if you let the major play with you for a little while."

It seemed Jade was finding this whole conversation more amusing than he should, if the look in his eyes was any indication. "Oh yes, I would love to see you after a makeover, Captain. Besides, Lissa's rather determined-I'm afraid you won't have much say in the matter."

The Captain shot him another glare, before an idea occurred to her. "Really? Then let's make a deal. I'll agree to a girl's night with Lissa if you agree to take whatever suggestions Jason throws at you."

Jade shrugged, not seeming bothered by this. "I don't see why not."

Armina took his hand to shake it, her smile widening. "Oh, I'll have you know Jason loves embarrassing questions, silly pranks, and will tell me exactly what transpires tonight."

Lissa, not really caring much for the other parts of this deal, grinned happily. "YES! This will be so much fun! Just you wait!"

Susanne laughed lightly, watching the three amused. However after glancing outside, she smiled at the other three. "Oh dinner will probably be ready soon. Would you like to head into the dining room? I'm sure the others will be headed there shortly as well."

Hearing this, Lissa turned to the older woman hopefully. "Luke too?"

"Well considering he'll be joining us for dinner, I'd say yes." Jade replied, adjusting his glasses.

"Sweet! Lets go!" She exclaimed, before heading off back the way they came. Honestly she didn't know where she was going, but was just deciding to back track.

Jade sighed, following with the others. "You shouldn't have mentioned dinner again Madame Fabre. Now she's going to be even more annoying."

Armina smiled when Lissa turned back around to stick her tongue out at him, before whispering. "Like I said before, Luke won't exactly live up to her standards."

"I have a feeling that won't daunt her." Jade replied, whispering as well.

"No, probably not." The captain chuckled.

"Well, it seems everyone's rather eager." Susanne mused. It was apparently rare for her to have people like Lissa in the manor.

Armina glanced at her curiously. "Is Guy still here or is he out working, ma'am?"

"I believe he will still be here after our meal, yes." Susanne turned to Lissa. "He's only a servant, but Guy is a very nice boy. He's a few years older than you, you should talk with him if you get the chance."

An interested look crossed the younger girl's face, but before she could respond, Jade spoke up, seeming amused. "So many men in the city, Vasilisa's bound to have a heart attack."

She turned to him with a glare. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"How should I know?" He shrugged.

Lissa pointed a finger at him angrily. "Because you're the one who said it!"

"Oh I did?" Jade mused, causing an annoyed glare to be turned his way.

Susanne couldn't help but laugh at their bickering. "You two will be quite the entertainment tonight if you keep this up." She opened the doors to the dining hall, allowing the other three to follow her in.

It seemed like everyone else was already convened there, ready for dinner. Lissa glanced around the room at everyone, noting the Duke and Jason. The Commandant was there also. She'd met him a few times when she was in Daath. He was always kind to her, so she didn't understand why Armina didn't trust him. Then her eyes landed on the other two, both young, around her and Armina's age probably. It was clear which one was which.

Not wasting a moment, Lissa hurried over to them grinning. "Hiya! I'm Lissa!" She looked at Luke, a quick, barely noticeable look of confusing passing through her eyes. However it was gone before anyone could notice. "You must be Luke, right? Wow you're even cuter than I thought!"

"What the hell?!" Luke leaned back, clearly taken aback by this abrupt behavior. "Who is this chick? Back off!"

"Luke, don't be rude." The commandant told his student, turning to the girl with a polite smile. "Hello, Major. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Yeah you too, Commandant!" she gave him a quick smile, before turning her attention back to a freaked out Luke.

"Not a pleasure for long." Armina whispered to Jade, watching Van closely.

This caused a small chuckle from the colonel. "You really dislike him, don't you?"

The Captain nodded, before walking over to take a seat. It was time to get this strange dinner under way.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you guys liked it! I hope to work on this more, so if you like the story, let me know so I can keep writing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi guys! sorry for the wait! Thank you to the few people who read this story! Its so much fun to write! Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ToA characters, just my OC's.**

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><p>Armina sat down next to Guy, glancing at him as she did so with a short hello. She couldn't remember ever being offered a seat at the table while the Fabre's ate dinner, so she couldn't help the feeling of slight awkwardness that was stirring in her.<p>

"Hey, Armina." Guy smiled in greeting, before glancing at Jade and Lissa-the latter of which had just taken a seat happily between him and a still annoyed Luke. "Malkuth soldiers?"

"It's a long story." Armina told him, not really wanting to get into the whole thing now.

Luke's visibly perked up at this. "Huh? Malkuth?" He glanced from Lissa to Jade, surprised. "You guys are from Malkuth? The king actually let you into the city? Awesome! I've never met anyone from Malkuth before!" He grinned excited, before looking at Jade. "Sheesh, you're pale. Don't you have any sun out there?"

Jade adjusted his glasses, amused. "Oh no, it's the moon all year long. It can be rather depressing, really."

Armina shot him a glare. "Don't tease him, Colonel."

Noticing how Lissa was still looking around happily, Guy turned to her with a smile. "You're a lot different from the other soldiers I've met."

The Major nodded, still grinning. "Yeah I get that a lot. So you're Guy, right? You're not so bad yourself! But I still prefer Luke." She turned to redhead and winked giggling, causing him to raise his eyebrow and scoot over a little, farther from her.

Jason chuckled and leaned over to his niece. "This is gonna be interesting, don't you think?"

Jade sighed, knowing all too well of the Major's behavior. "You'll have to excuse her. She hasn't had her medications today so she's a little loopy."

Lissa turned to him glaring and stuck out her tongue. "Oh shut it old man!"

"Old?" Armina said with a raised eyebrow. "The Colonel's not even forty."

Jason laughed at this. "Heck, if he's old Van and I are ancient!" He paused, turning to the Commandant. "You _are _older than Jade, right?"

"Not by much." Van responded with a small smile. It was clear he found this whole conversation amusing.

"Huh." Jason studied the other's face. "You look kinda old though. Maybe it's the beard." He turned to Luke with an amused look. "Whaddaya think? Van with no beard?"

Luke laughed, imagining his mentor shaven. "He'd look ridiculous!"

"Definitely." Armina added calmly, as Van looked both amused and annoyed at the conversation topic.

"You'd look pretty funny too, Jason." Guy pointed out.

Jason rubbed his goatee and grinned. "I like having this. It makes me feel fuzzy."

The Duke chuckled. "It seems everyone's very lively."

"Oh, we've barely begun." Jade smiled. "Wait until Vasilisa has some sugar, it's frightening. Then again..." He glanced at Armina with a smirk. "Do your servants bring wine?"

Susanne nodded with a smile. "With the meal, yes."

Armina shot him a glare, seeing his amused look. "I don't drink, Colonel."

"Not anymore, anyway." He replied, as the Captain grimaced.

"I was under the impression that drink was light, the whole thing was an accident."

"Armina got drunk?" Luke asked, laughing again. "Now _that_ I'd love to see."

Lissa had been off in her own little world, trying to think of ways to get Luke alone, when she realized they had mentioned wine. "Ooh wine? Great I'll take some!"

Jade chuckled, both from Armina's annoyance at having her drunken night brought up and his niece thinking she'd actually be allowed alcohol. "As amusing as that would be, I have to say no."

"Aww come on! I've only got..." She paused, counting on her fingers. "4 more years 'til I'm 21!"

Susanne smiled at the young girl. "I'm sorry Vasilisa. Luke isn't having any either, if that makes you feel any better."

The Major thought for a moment, before grinning. "Oh yes that's awesome! Then when everyone is drunk, I'll kidnap him and we'll run away together!"

Instantly the Duke and Lady, Van, Guy, and the White Knights stiffened. This was obviously noticeable, and Lissa glanced around confused.

"Um...did I say something wrong?"

She noticed Luke's annoyed sigh, as Armina spoke. "Yes, actually. So anyway Madame Fabre, I will have to decline the wine with tonight's meal."

As Lissa still glanced at everyone confused, Susanne smiled. "Oh, of course. It will pay to have someone completely clear headed tonight." It was obvious she'd noticed the Captain's warning look. It wasn't like they wanted to talk about the events of seven years ago anyway. She turned to Jade. "Will you be having any tonight?"

"Oh, just a little. I prefer not to have anything fogging my senses if I can help it."

Armina glanced over at her uncle, who smiled slightly and surreptitiously put his hand in his pocket and fiddled with something. She raised her eyebrow at him curiously, but his only response was to raise a finger to his mouth and wink. She watched him for a moment, before and leaning back in her chair, amused. _'Well, this should be interesting. I haven't seen Jason spike a drink since I graduated the military academy.'_

Luke leaned on the table, looking bored from all this talking. "So why are you two here anyway? You're from Malkuth, right?"

Lissa grinned, happy at another chance to speak to the young redhead. "That's right! We're here on official business for the emperor! I wasn't really too happy about coming along with Jade, but I guess something good came out of coming here!"

"Yeah and what's that?" Luke asked confused.

She leaned closer to him. "I got to meet you!" This caused the boy to blush slightly and move away from her as Guy tried to hide his grin.

Van smiled amused, before turning to Jade. "So what kind of official business did you come on? I'm assuming its nothing bad, seeing as how the king didn't have you arrested upon your arrival."

Jade watched him for a moment before responding. "I'll wait for the trouble to be cleared up before I make my business here public, if you don't mind."

Van shrugged at this. "Understandable." He glanced over at Luke and Lissa again, to which the former was still trying to move away from the latter. "Made a new friend?"

"N-no way!" Luke exclaimed flustered. It was clear he wasn't used to girls being like this. "Back off, you creep!

Armina watched this amused. "I cannot tell if you're embarrassed or angry, Master Luke."

"Oh shut up!" he snapped.

Guy chuckled. "Careful Luke, don't want to offend the soldiers."

The Captain nodded solemnly. "Oh yes, 'Jade the Necromancer' might be unhappy if you offend..." She paused for a moment, thinking of something before grinning. "'Lissa the Dragon'."

Lissa-who was leaning closer to Luke still, turned to Armina grinning. "'Lissa the Dragon'...? I like it!"

Jade closed his eyes and shrugged in his normal way. "Oh by all means, offend her as much as you'd like."

"How rude Jade!" Lissa exclaimed. "What kind of uncle are you?!"

"He's your uncle?" Guy asked shocked.

"Well technically no... He raised me since I was 8 and he was close with my dad."

"Yes and unfortunately I got stuck with baby sitting." Jade added with an annoyed sigh, ignoring the blonde stick her tongue out at him.

Susanne glanced at the younger girl curiously. "So, if you live with Colonel Curtiss... then your parents are...?"

Lissa nodded with a small smile. "Yep. Dead. My mom died when I was about 3, she was really sick. Or so I've been told. And my dad died when I was 8, during battle."

"Ah, you mentioned that earlier." Armina said, before chuckling. "We do have something in common, forced to live with annoying uncles."

Jason crossed his arms. "Annoying? Me? Well I never."

"Really, never? Odd, I would have thought you heard it quite a lot." His niece said seriously.

Guy laughed, seeing his annoyed face. "Don't try to play cute with Armina, she'll rip you apart."

"Don't I know it." The older man grinned, glancing up as the servants began entering with the food. Lissa's stomach grumbled as she watched the food being placed on the table. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until just then.

"Man that smells good. I'm starving!" Luke grinned as he watched the food as well.

"Work hard today?" Armina asked him, waving away a servant offering wine.

Luke nodded happily, grinning. "Yeah! Master Van taught me a whole bunch of new stuff!" He paused, an annoyed look crossing his features. "Not that I'll ever be able to use it anyway..."

The Duke sighed, obviously used to this conversation. "Luke we've been over this a thousand times."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Its for my own safety." He muttered, still annoyed as he started cutting his food.

Jade reached out and put a hand over Lissa's glass, just as servant was about to pour wine into it. "None for her, thank you, just water."

This of course earned a pout and glare from the girl as the servant poured her water. "Why do you have to be so alert to stuff?"

"Its my job." Jade smiled amused, as Lissa huffed and turned away.

She didn't stay mad for long though, as she had just realized what Luke had said. She glanced at him before looking at the Duke. "So why's Luke not allowed to leave here? I mean...the city can't be that dangerous, can it? It looked like people were pretty happy and safe. There were plenty of knights around."

Hearing this, Armina grimaced. _'Lissa, you're on thin ice here...'_

Susanne glanced at the Duke, seeming unsure how to respond. "We're just...concerned, is all."

Luke though, looked like he agreed with the blonde. "Yeah, she has a point. The knights are always out, why can't I go around?"

Not sure what to say to his son, the Duke glanced at Armina for help. She of course knew what to do immediately.

"Well, Luke, if you're that bored you can train with me tomorrow. You have been asking for awhile, and Van has business in Daath so you'll be without a teacher for some time." She offered. Hopefully that would take his mind off going outside.

Apparently it worked, before he suddenly grinned. "Seriously? Awesome! I've never even see you draw a sword before, this is gonna be so fun!"

"Just remember to be careful, Luke." Van warned. "You're unused to fighting anyone other than Guy and I."

The boy waved him off, unconcerned. "Yeah yeah, it's just practice."

Armina smiled awkwardly and turned to Lissa, who was still confused. "The Duke has his reasons." She said quietly, while Luke was distracted by the talk of fighting.

Lissa watched the older girl for a moment, before glancing at Jade who merely shrugged. It was only because she'd known him so long that she could tell he knew something. However, she decided to ignore it for the time being, and focus her attention back on the cute boy sitting next to her. "Ooh if you're training Luke can I help?"

The Duke watched her warily, glancing at his wife. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

Luke smirked, obviously finding this amusing. "You wouldn't be much of a training partner. I mean you don't even have a weapon on you so how do you expect to fight?"

"Maybe I just use my fists. Did you ever think of that? Huh?" Lissa asked him.

He thought about this a moment, before shaking his head. "Nah you don't look strong enough."

Van smiled at his student's words. "You're forgetting what I taught you Luke. Looks don't always mean anything. Also, Lissa here is a Major, meaning she's quite strong."

Said girl nodded, grinning proudly. "And I do have a weapon on me thank you very much. You just can't see it."

"Huh? Where?" Luke stared at her for a moment then shrugged, assuming she was talking about a knife or something.

Armina smiled, watching this exchange. "This is one of our paranoid moments, Lissa. You can probably understand why neither I nor the Duke would feel comfortable with you battling Master Luke."

"Still so suspicious." Jade smirked.

"I'm suspicious of everybody, and I only met Lissa today. Besides…" She glanced at him pointedly. "I haven't been given much reason to trust Malkuth soldiers." This earned her an amused look, which she pointedly ignored.

"Aw, but I wanted to fight her!" Luke whined. "Come on, she's just a girl-I'll be fine!"

Armina raised an eyebrow. "Girl's can't fight, then?"

Luke waved her off, seeing what she was getting at. "You don't count as a girl, Armina."

Hearing that, the Captain looked equal parts amused and insulted, while Guy nearly chocked on his drink. This was definitely turning out to be a memorable dinner, that was for sure.

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><p><strong>AN: Well hope you liked it! I couldn't really decide where to stop, but figured this was a good point. Please review and I'll try to get the next one out soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alright so here's the next chapter! For some reason I have motivation to write more of this story now, so hopefully you guys continue to like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any ToA characters, just OC's.**

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><p>In all honesty, Lissa didn't think coming to Kimlasca would be that entertaining. She'd heard some rumors about it, and how it was more militaristic than Malkuth was. But now she was actually really glad she came. Meeting so many different people was definitely worth it.<p>

She grinned at Luke after hearing his remark, finding it amusing. "Well just so you know, just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't fight. But it sucks I can't fight you. It'd be fun to get that close to you."

The boy gave her another look like she's crazy and took a bite of his food as Guy chuckled quietly, taking a drink. It appeared he'd recovered from almost choking a moment ago.

His chuckle caused the Major to turn her attention to him however. As she watched him, she noticed his chair was slightly farther away than Luke's was. "Hey don't tell me you're like him!" She gestured to Luke. "I haven't even been bothering you."

Guy suddenly looked embarrassed. "Uh...well no... Its just... You see..."

"Guy has a slight aversion to women." Van smiled slightly.

"Really?" Lissa said confused, her mind churning.

"Oh boy..." Jade sighed. "You shouldn't have said that Commandant."

Hearing this, she grinned and leaned closer to Guy. "What kind of aversion?"

Instantly he jumped out of his chair and hid on the other side of Van. "H-hey!"

"I wouldn't say an aversion so much as a phobia." Armina grinned at him and leaned forward, so she was close to him. "But I 'don't count as a girl', right?"

Guy jumped back, not enjoying this teasing. "C-cut it out!"

"That's a rather unusual fear." Jade said casually, glancing at his niece and the Captain. "Though not entirely impossible to understand." Especially when you ended up being around woman with quick tempers.

Armina smiled and took a bite of food. "Not entirely."

Luke grinned at Guy. "If you hate girls so much you shouldn't hang around them so often."

"No, I don't hate girls! I love women!" Guy exclaimed.

"That's not much better, Guy." Van sighed.

"No, I meant-" Obviously seeing he wasn't going to be able to explain himself, Guy sighed.

Lissa laughed, finding all of this amusing. "Wow I didn't know coming to Kimlasca would be so much fun!" She would definitely have to come here again.

Jade smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Yes you got to meet two eligible bachelors. What could be better than that?"

A thoughtful look crossed the girl's features, before she smiled. "I know, right?"

"Uh...Luke isn't really eligible though." Guy said, still standing behind Van. "And did you mean me too?"

"I told you guys before I don't remember proposing to Natalia!" Luke said angrily. "So until I remember, I'm not engaged to her! Besides, she really gets on my nerves."

Lissa grinned at this. "So then you _are _eligible?"

"You're just as annoying as she is!" It was clear the redhead wanted nothing to do with either girl.

The Major pouted, looking upset. "How mean... Am I really annoying?" She looked at him, giving him her best cutest upset look.

"Hell yes!" He snapped, not being swayed as he turned to Guy, who was hesitantly taking his seat again. "I get why you're so scared now, girls are crazy."

Armina smiled slightly at Lissa's pout. "Perhaps you're moving a bit too fast, Lissa. He doesn't even know how old you are."

"17, by the way." Jade answered for her. "So _she_ is perfectly eligible, and likely will be for a while yet." He smiled teasingly, ignoring the glare shot his way, before taking a sip of the wine.

Seeing this, Armina glanced at her uncle, who just hummed innocently and winked. She knew him well enough to know he did something he probably shouldn't have. _'Oh this won't be pretty. But it might be fun.'_

Guy glanced at Lissa when he took his seat again, moving it as far away as possible. "S-sorry, it's nothing personal."

Lissa smiled at him, not seeming offended at all. "That's okay! At least I have another-" She paused, remembering what Armina had said. She was coming on too strong wasn't she? Maybe she should back off a little. Taking a deep breath, she flashed the boy a polite smile. "Never mind. So how was your day?"

"Uh..." He gave her a confused look. "Okay I guess..."

"That's good. Mine sucked. I had to ride in the Tartarus with him for hours." She said casually, gesturing to Jade, who smiled slightly.

"I think I should be the one complaining about riding with you. As I recall you were the one who wouldn't stop talking, am I right?"

His response obviously didn't sit well with her. "Well I had to do something! You and the stupid soldiers would have been silent the whole time if I wasn't there! And what's the fun in that?"

Jason grinned at that. "Sounds like you Malkuth soldiers are pretty boring."

"Well the Kimlascan soldiers don't seem that peppy either." The Colonel replied.

Hearing this, Lissa turned to Armina's uncle angrily. "Hey! Are you saying _I'm _boring?"

Jason shook his head. "Stereotypes, generalizations and rules don't apply to you, Lissa. You're your own little entity of energy." This apparently cheered her up, because she grinned happily.

"Well, most soldiers don't make it their job to be peppy." Armina clarified.

"Armina's like the definition of stoic." Luke said, looking at her. "You're a total workaholic! No wonder he thinks our guys are boring."

"I never said boring. I said not 'peppy'." Jade corrected. "Though yes, Armina can be rather boring."

The commander gave him an annoyed look, to which she just received a sarcastic smile before he took another sip of wine.

Jason thought for a moment. "I like peppy, it's fun. Lissa's peppy. Am I peppy?" He turned to the Duke in question, who gave him a strange look in return.

"Very much so."

"Cool." Jason grinned, seeming pleased by that.

Lissa grinned at him. "It seems like we're the only cool soldiers here!"

"That's fine by me." Jason grinned back. "Now we can be doubly annoying!"

Jade sighed. "Well tonight should be...interesting. Don't you think Armina?" He glanced at her, taking another sip of wine.

"Oh yes, very interesting." Armina replied, watching him drink the wine. She was curious as to exactly what her uncle had done.

Lissa thought for a moment, before remembering something. "Oh yeah! Tonight is a girls night, right? We get to talk and do our hair and nails!" She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face as she tried to think of other stuff to do. She hadn't really ever been to any sleepovers, so she wasn't sure what it all entailed.

Hearing this, Luke laughed. "Armina's not a girl how can she have a girl's night?"

"Yeah I couldn't really see Armina acting girly either." Guy added.

Lissa came out of her thoughts and grinned at Luke. "I could do your hair too! It's so long it'd be fun to style it! What do you say?"

This caused Armina to smirk slightly. "Hm...yes, that seems fine. If I'm not a girl he'll have to take the position for me. What do you think, curl it? Braids?"

"You crazy chicks aren't touching my hair!" he exclaimed, leaning away with a glare, causing Armina to laugh.

"Hm, he took me seriously."

"Little wonder why. You almost never joke." Jason stated, defending the teen.

"When I'm working I can't afford to play around." It was true. Armina took her job very seriously, and rarely had time for fun.

Jade took another sip of wine before speaking. "Well, maybe you could teach that trait to Vasilisa. Heaven knows it would be helpful."

Guy glanced between the two Malkuthians. "You two sort of have a love-hate thing going on, huh?" It was becoming clear the two argued a lot.

"Just without the love part." Jason grinned.

"It's hard to love annoying uncles." Armina stated calmly.

Jason glanced at Lissa. "She says that now, but in reality she knows I'm awesome."

As Armina shook her head at her troublesome uncle, Lissa glanced at hers. It wasn't like she didn't like him, but they did tend to disagree on a lot of things. "Hmm...well I guess you could say that. He can get annoying sometimes though."

"And you can get annoying all the time." The Colonel said, drinking his wine again.

His glass was almost gone, and it was a show of how controlled Armina was with her emotions that she wasn't grinning. She had a feeling she knew what her uncle had done, and honestly she couldn't wait until it kicked in.

At her uncle's jibe, Lissa stuck her tongue out at him annoyed, though this didn't seem to bother him at all. "Its rude to do that at the dinner table Vasilisa."

I told you its Lissa!" she exclaimed angrily. "I hate using my full name!"

"Why? Vasilisa's a beautiful name." Guy said, smiling at her.

This of course caused the girl to turn to him and smile, leaning closer. "Aww well thanks!"

Guy leaned away a little scared, as Luke played with his food, seeming bored. "I don't know why you talk to girls like that when you know they're just gonna like you more. That's why I don't say that kind of stuff."

Lissa's attention quickly shifted to the boy on her other side. "That's all right. I like a good chase!" she grinned, winking at him.

Van laughed as Luke looked creeped out and scooted away from her. "I think you're making him uncomfortable, Major. You're almost more forward than the princess."

Armina smiled at this. "At least the princess has her reasons."

Jade nodded. "She's man-crazy. Maybe they should call _her_ the Huntress, I'm sure we could find you another name Armina."

Why people feel the need to give us titles beyond our rank I will never know." The Captain sighed.

"'Cause they sound cool?" her uncle shrugged. "Besides, you just called her 'The Dragon'."

"She was feeling left out, Jade and I have too much of a reputation each. She needs one herself now." Armina smiled, glancing at the younger girl. "And with that personality..."

"Yeah, well, I'm not forgetting this girl anytime soon." Luke stated annoyed, poking in the Major's direction with his fork.

"So you're not gonna forget me, huh?" She obviously took this a different way than he meant.

"Yeah but its not a good reason!" he snapped.

Lissa shrugged and turned away. "That's fine. As long as you always remember me. And you'll eventually come to love me. Everyone does."

The Colonel attempted to hide his smirk behind his glass, though it didn't go unnoticed from his niece. "Oh you know you love me Jade. Your life would be so lame without me in it!"

"Yes well, I suppose you're right about that." He agreed. She definitely livened things up. Though not always in a good way.

Lissa grinned at this, turning to Jason. "Well what about you? Do you love me yet?"

Jason shrugged, knowing she didn't mean this in any weird or romantic way. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Well, this has certainly been an interesting conversation." Armina chuckled.

"Interesting?" Luke exclaimed. "I've got a creepy stalker chick sitting next to me!"

"Well, that's pretty interesting, even if you don't like it." Guy said thoughtfully, earning a glare from his friend.

"I'm almost sad we'll only be here for one day." Jade said with an amused look, finishing off his wine. "Hm...this is very good, actually."

"Secret ingredient, Kimlascan specialty." Jason told him, nodding solemnly as Armina smothered a laugh.

Van, being the next one to catch on to what was going on, rose an eyebrow, before sighing. _'And this is why we rarely have dinner guests.'_

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><p><strong>AN: Well hope you all enjoyed! Please try to review, so I know how I'm doing! I'll try to update again soon!**


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